Artificial Intelligence and USBs Drive 8% Rise in Cyber-Attacks

The 2023 Mid-Year Security Report from Check Point Research reveals an 8% surge in global weekly cyber-attacks during Q2, with an increase in ransomware attacks and the fusion of advanced AI technology with traditional tools being used for disruptive cyber-attacks.

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Relevant topic timeline:

8/22/2023

Analysis

Government agencies are urging organizations to prepare for the cybersecurity implications of quantum computers and develop a roadmap for post-quantum cryptography, while also emphasizing the importance of building security into AI software systems from the outset. Additionally, Tesla reveals that a data breach affecting 75,000 employees was an inside job, and a man faces terrorism charges in connection to a police data breach in Northern Ireland.

8/23/2023

Ransomware, use of AI, and rise in cybercrime-as-a-service key threats in the first half of 2023: Report

Summary: Ransomware attacks, the use of AI, and the rise of cybercrime-as-a-service were prominent trends in the cybersecurity space in the first half of 2023, with LockBit ransomware being the most used and AI tools being misused by threat actors to launch cyberattacks.

8/27/2023

Week in review: Security Onion 2.4 released, WinRAR vulnerable to RCE - Help Net Security

Last week's cybersecurity news included topics such as network detection and response, exploitation of vulnerabilities by state-sponsored hackers, the complexity of maintaining security in diverse cloud infrastructures, and the release of new security tools and platforms.

8/28/2023

International ransomware gangs are evolving their techniques. The next generation of hackers will target weaknesses in cryptocurrencies

Ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated, with the average ransom payment rising to $1.5 million in the past year, according to a survey by Sophos, while attacks on city governments and police forces often go unnoticed; researchers are now focusing on the next generation of ransomware that may exploit vulnerabilities in cryptocurrencies, such as the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism used in Ethereum, which could be targeted for extortion.

8/29/2023

FBI, Partners Dismantle Qakbot Infrastructure in Multinational Cyber Takedown

The FBI and partners successfully disrupted and dismantled the Qakbot botnet infrastructure, one of the largest-ever U.S.-led enforcement actions against a botnet, that was used for cybercrimes such as ransomware and financial fraud.

9/8/2023

UK Warns of AI Chatbot Attacks; Global Data Breaches Skyrocket as Cyber Threats Mount

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre has warned against prompt injection attacks on AI chatbots, highlighting the vulnerability of large language models to inputs that can manipulate their behavior and generate offensive or confidential content. Data breaches have also seen a significant increase globally, with a total of 110.8 million accounts leaked in Q2 2023, and the global average cost of a data breach has risen by 15% over the past three years. In other news, Japan's cybersecurity agency was breached by hackers, executive bonuses are increasingly tied to cybersecurity metrics, and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance has detailed how Russian state-sponsored hackers are using Android malware to attack Ukrainian soldiers' devices.